The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-10-17
A PROLIFIC STORY TELLER.
Stains Exciting Account Of the Win
throp Bank Robbery.

Boston, Oct. 15.-The Globe gives
the story OF the burglary Of the Winthrop
Bank, which took place few years before
the Dexter robbery. The Globe says that,
according to young Stains story, his father
was the leader Of the gang who robbed the
Winthrop Bank. For some months previous
ly, stain had been considering plan to make
visit to Winthrop, and was busy deciding
upon his route, the lay of the land, the medus
operdndi, etc. Stain the elder had lived for
some years at Redfeld. little hamlet six
miles north of Winthrop. A few days pre-
vious to the robbery the gang, at signal
from Stain, simultaneously left their homes
and were driven by Frank Stain to Win
throp. 5a Hr
Oliver Cromwell, man named Gleason,
ant me two Stains made up the parry
Young Stain in this story, as in his other
confession, describes at considerable length
how he drove the gang to the place of the
robbery, and waited for them after it was
over. According to the story, the old man
Stain told the boy that they got into the
bank early in the evening, when there were
great many people on the streets. They
worked quickly and made very little noise
until the time came for the explosion. Stain
had brought along boring instruments, for
which he had sent Cromwell to New York.
They were new instruments and contained
Set OF 63 inch drills in each frame, SO made
that by holding 1t in the hand and turning
with the right hand, all the drills would be
set noiselessly at work.
After the hole had been bored through.
charge OF powder and a fuse were inserted,
and, after loud report, one of the doors
was blown open. A hasty examination
showed Stain that the charge had not done
It's work effectively. Hearing noise out
side at this moment, brilliant idea came
INTO Stains head. He called the gang to-
gether and some whispered orders were
hastily given. He had resolved upon bold
policy. They instantly got outside the bank,
and, locking arms with each other, they be-
gan to Murray and hello at the top of their
voices and reel about as if completely intoxi-
It was not two minutes after the explosion
before adOzen windows were thrown open
and people began thrusting their heads out
seeing nothing but party Of seeming
drunkards, they went back to bed again.
Stains coup d'etat had worked admirably.
Going again into the bank, he bored much
deeper than the first time and put in another
charge, and this time the doors were conf
pIetely blown off with a terrible explosion.
Hurriedly selZing up the money and bonds,
they thrust them into their pockets and hur-
ried off
They.were none too soon. The explosion
startled the whole community and several
nAOh az ouCc uIcoSeu themselves ana started
IN pursuit OF the robbers. A posse Of citizens
divided and guarded the bridge at Lake Ma
Tanocook, but the willy criminals had escaped.
Wnen young Stain took Cromwell and his
1ather into the team after the robbery, Glea-
son SAID "Goodby," and started off alone in
the direction of Readfeld, carving his valise
Stain drove his father and Cromwell acloss
the country to Augusta. When within few
miles OF the city Stain and Cromwell got out
ana young Stain kept ON across the country
10 Lewiston, where 1t was understood the
gang would rejoin him.
That night he arrived at the Dewitt House
In Lewiston, where he was met by the others
OF the gang who had come on by train, reach
Ing there some hours ahead of him. The
whole party went into private room, where
tney divided the Doodle, and then the whole
gang came leisurely home to Massachusetts.
When morning came and the bank officials
discovered the details of the robbery, it was
found that $4,000 in money had been stolen,
and bonds and securities to the value of S20,-
600 MORE
On the front stoop of the bank vas a $50
bill tom in two and one-half missing Fur
ther on toward Readfeld were three bank
bills, which had been burned and mutilated
by the explosion. and left in such way as to
lead the officers to think that the burglars
had escaped to Readfeld, when in reality
they had gone in an opposite direction.
Search in every direction revealed nothing.
The crime was as much mystery as the
Dexter robbery,